1. Peel,pare agree in meaning to remove the skin or rind from something. Peel means to pull or strip off the natural external covering or protection of something: to peel an orange, a potato.Pare is used of trimming off chips, flakes, or superficial parts from something, as well as of cutting off the skin or rind: to pare the nails; to pare a potato.

peel2

[peel] /pil/

noun

1.

a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.

Old English pilian to strip off the outer layer, from Latin pilāre to make bald, from pilus a hair

peel2

/piːl/

noun

1.

a long-handled shovel used by bakers for moving bread, in an oven

Word Origin

C14 pele, from Old French, from Latin pāla spade, from pangere to drive in; see palette

peel3

/piːl/

noun

1.

(in Britain) a fortified tower of the 16th century on the borders between England and Scotland, built to withstand raids

Word Origin

C14 (fence made of stakes): from Old French piel stake, from Latin pālus; see pale², paling

Peel

/piːl/

noun

1.

John, real name John Robert Parker Ravenscroft. 1939–2004, British broadcaster; presented his influential Radio 1 music programme (1967–2004) and Radio 4's Home Truths (1998–2004)

2.

Sir Robert. 1788–1850, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1834–35; 1841–46). As Home Secretary (1828–30) he founded the Metropolitan Police and in his second ministry carried through a series of free-trade budgets culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), which split the Tory party

"to strip off," developed from Old English pilian "to peel, skin, decorticate, strip the skin or ring," and Old French pillier, both from Latin pilare "to strip of hair," from pilus "hair" (see pile (n.3)). Probably also influenced by Latin pellis "skin, hide." Related: Peeled; peeling. Figurative expression keep (one's) eyes peeled be observant, be on the alert" is from 1853, American English.